Loading, please wait...
LOT 0198
Byzantine Bronze Steelyard Weight of an Empress
5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
3 3/4 in. (630 grams, 94 mm).
Filled with lead and formed as the upper body of an empress wearing a pleated palla, her hair arranged in loose curls around the face, suspension loop to the head.
ProvenancePrivate collection, Europe.
Acquired by the current owner in 1999.
Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00038155.
Cf. the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York under accession number 67.154.1, for similar.
FootnotesThe choice of the image of the empress for an official weight may have been to display fairness and equality before the law in commercial matters, as well as to bolster the authority of the imperial family.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Byzantine Bronze Reliquary Cross Pendant
10th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £140
Hollow-formed and hinged at the lower edge, with low-relief Corpus Christi to one face, the other with a nimbate figure in orans posture, a bust of an evangelist to each arm. 11.5 grams, 49 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Byzantine Bronze Inscribed Weight
5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Tabular in form, obverse with eight-rayed starburst in a frame, reverse with incised text. 25.8 grams, 25 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
Byzantine Inscribed Bronze Bell for St Blaise
8th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £390
Domed high-tin bronze with pierced lug suspension and thickened rim; incised Greek inscription to the shoulder 'ΟΑΓΗΟCΒΛΑCHOC' (Hagios Blasios). 35.6 grams, 46 mm
Acquired in the 1980s. From the collection of a London antiquarian.
The name is normally anglicised as 'St Blaise', an early bishop who was martyred in 316 AD in Sebaste, Armenia.
